Well timed ideas for capitalizing on a few of the finest walleye fishing of the yr
CALDWELL, ID (September 22, 2025) – It’s that point of yr once more. Children are again in school, soccer’s began, and fish will quickly be placing on the feed for the lengthy, chilly months forward. And whereas the pull for the avid outdoorsman or girl might be to prepared for birds, bucks, subject, and forest, severe walleye anglers comprehend it’s additionally time to be on the water.
Whereas we’re within the summer-fall transition proper now and fish are beginning to make strikes, the most effective walleye fishing takes place when waters hit the higher to mid-50s. That is once they start aggressively focusing on baitfish like shad, perch, and fall-spawning tullibees (cisco), usually roaming shallow from nightfall and all through the evening placing on the feed.
Location, Location, Location
Fall days might be epic, so long as you’re in the proper place. Count on autumn walleyes to carry close to fundamental lake factors, drop-offs, and constructions like rock piles and gravel bars close to deeper water the place they will ambush prey and relaxation to metabolize meals.
Shifting water can be a fall magnet, with walleyes chasing migrating baitfish into adjoining creeks and rivers on lakes.
However, as talked about, come nighttime, anticipate walleyes shifting into as little as 2-8 toes of water close to shorelines, particularly windswept shores. On rivers, you’ll find the identical phenomena, with walleyes intercepting meals alongside shallow rock, creek inlets, river bends, wingdams, and riprap.
Get the Internet!
The gold in a walleye goes deeper than its pores and skin – it’s the meat. Prized for its fantabulous flaky white fillets, nothing’s extra painful than seeing a walleye at boatside return to the depths for lack of a touchdown web.
EGO Fishing affords probably the most complete assortment of specialised and complicated touchdown nets available on the market. Sometimes, walleye lovers go for giant to XL hoop sizes within the S2 Slider collection, meshing primarily based on choice. The preferred netting alternative, nonetheless, is PVC coated with a flat bottomed basket. The flat backside cradles a fish for simpler dealing with, whereas the PVC coating prevents bodily harm to upsized walleyes which may qualify for launch. Additionally, the identical PVC coating does a high-quality job of maintaining hooks free from perma-snag.
Troll Proper Now
Though it’s fallen by the wayside with FF sonar, trolling continues to be an extremely efficient option to catch walleyes, particularly now with water temps sliding into the 60s and down into the higher 50s. You’ll be able to nonetheless use your electronics, however slightly than sniping particular person fish, search for colleges of baitfish cruising the open basins and both longline or use leadcore to drag crankbaits or spinners, the latter with a minnow as an alternative of a ‘crawler, one thing quite a lot of anglers don’t do anymore.
Jigging Simply Produces
Once more, through the day, use your electronics to search out vertical construction, deep breaks, and vertically jig these areas. ¼- to three/8-ounce jigs tipped with vigorous minnows are onerous to move up. On river techniques, discover present seams, swimming pools, or eddies, and focus on boat management, maintaining your line as vertical as potential or in place to pitch to promising areas.
Veteran Minnesota Fishing Information, Tom Neustrom, is a grasp at jigging and loves what fall brings to his boat annually.
“When water temperatures drop from 70 to 75 levels, that will get the walleyes shifting. I transfer again to jig fishing since you’re keying in on pods of fish once more, and I believe that’s the vital factor to know concerning the transitional interval—when the temperature begins to drop the fish begin to feed, so you really want to observe the water temperature.”
Neustrom is a fan of jigging in fall as a result of he can cowl water shortly and key in on lively fish.
“When it comes to depths, I ascribe to the spring ahead, fall again saying, that means transfer shallow through the day within the spring and transfer deeper through the day within the fall. We’re not within the six, eight, or ten toes we’d be jigging within the spring. I’m on the lookout for fish in 25 to 35 toes of water within the fall through the day – in addition to the sides of deep water to shallower water, say 12 to twenty toes of water,” famous Neustrom.
“Within the fall, it’s essential to concentrate to depth breaks. Once you’re your LakeMaster map or no matter map you’re utilizing, you wish to key on main factors that dip into deep water and begin fishing proper on the sting. I’m a extremely massive fan of jigging factors within the fall.”
Pitching Applications
Rapala Jigging Raps and Rippin’ Raps, Northland Pitchin’ Puppet, and bladebaits are additionally fall favorites, with bladebaits actually shining on rivers the place the water could also be turbid and also you want the vibration to draw fish. And on lakes and rivers, chunky paddletail and jighead combos are additionally constant producers, however you’ll must experiment with the retrieve. Typically, walleyes need them ripped—different instances fished on a reasonable, straight retrieve. For the latter, underspin jigheads are really useful for further flash and attraction.
Solid Cranks
Casting crankbaits like DAIWA’s SC Shads, Rapala Shad Raps, and Berkley Flickr Shads present one other avenue to discover, working shallow flats and still-green weededges. And stickbaits just like the DAIWA HMKL Minnow and Rapala Husky Jerks, nicely, they’re a staple for flinging in shallow water at evening, which we’ll talk about beneath.
Dwell Bait Rigging
One of many deadliest methods for catching walleyes in fall on lakes? Rigging fats, vigorous creek chubs or redtails on a slip sinker rig. Drag slowly over breaklines or factors.
Submit-turnover—when dissolved oxygen is extra evenly dispersed all through all depths—walleyes might be actually wherever. Most anglers nonetheless goal steep breaks, sunken islands, factors, and so on., however Minnesota information, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl is keen on fishing shallower.
“A majority of my fall dwell bait rigging is finished in 10’ and fewer,” stated Bro. “Particularly round rock, from softball- to Volkswagen-sized boulders to jagged defend rock. On rivers, you’re speaking submerged riprap, wingdams, and different soft-to-hard backside transitions.”
Simply bear in mind to set the hook after a short countdown and with a gradual sweep.
Bro encourages anglers to make use of the primary couple bites to find out the most effective hook-setting process. “In the event you get a chunk and pull on it and the fish is already hooked, you recognize they’re consuming it. Don’t overfeed the fish. There’s no purpose to drag their butthole out the mouth. More often than not, I’m feeding them for round 5 seconds. The one exception is that if I’m utilizing big chubs—then I’ll give ‘em a bit longer.”
Bro continued: “Once I really feel successful I’ll feed line, then I’ll verify earlier than I set the hook, pulling the chub somewhat bit – perhaps a pair quick pulls so the walleye eats it a bit extra. I name this the ‘tease.’ Teasing walleyes somewhat bit actually will get them to commit. Huge walleyes are like ‘give me my steak again!’ Even in match conditions once I watch guys feed fish for minutes, all it takes is somewhat tease.”
The exception is rigging throughout excessive high-pressure conditions when the tease can flip some walleyes off.
“In the event that they don’t eat after the tease, they’re usually small fish. However bug the large fish they usually’ll gobble virtually each time, even throughout post-frontal situations.”
Evening Fishing
In fall, with walleyes shifting shallow after darkish, casting stickbaits or swimbaits over sand, gravel, or sparsely weeded flats might be dynamite – once more, particularly areas the place the wind has been blowing into for a sustained interval or close to creek mouths and factors.
The good factor about walleye evening fishing in fall is you don’t actually need a ship, simply a few spinning rods, a small field of stickbaits, pliers, your waders, headlamp, and an excellent web, like an EGO Giant Wade mannequin that can clip simply to a lanyard or over your shoulder. Whereas all of the strategies above will work for fall walleyes, that is our favourite!
Organizing all that SH#T
The mixture of the aforesaid lures and terminal sort out would appear heavy sufficient to flip a ship. In truth, although, they are often saved and transported in two, perhaps three 3700-size utility sort out trays. Possibly a jig field, rig field, and hardbait field. Go forward and mark ‘em with a Sharpie, too.
And it’s your fortunate day… EGO’s Kryptek Deal with Field Sling Pack handily holds a trio of 3700 utility containers, in truth, comes with them. In addition to the included containers, the rugged sling pack options storage pockets galore, molle loops, snug and adjustable strap, and rod holder.
ABOUT EGO Fishing
Fourteen years in the past, we set out on a easy mission – to develop a greater fishing touchdown web answer that addressed the various useful and efficiency issues that existed with the standard merchandise. What began out as a small touchdown web firm has now grown into the innovation chief within the fishing web and equipment class of the game fishing business. EGO merchandise are offered at most main sporting items retail chains and are carried by a big community of distributors and unbiased sellers in america. Distribution has additionally grown internationally to incorporate nations akin to Canada, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Japan.
